Author: Tanya Landman
publisher name: Walker Books
ISBN: 9781406314595
At the end of the American Civil War, Charley, a young African-American slave from the deep south, is ostensibly freed. However, tragedy strikes when her adopted mother is raped and lynched by a mob, leaving Charley alone in a lawless land where the color of a person's skin can lead to violent death. Desperate and facing a perilous situation, Charley steals the clothes from a dead man's back and runs off to join the army, disguising herself as a man.
In a world marked by injustice and inequality, Charley finds herself sent to the prairies to fight a new war against "savage Indians." It's only when she is posted to Apache territory that she begins to discover what it truly means to be free. The Sweetness of Water explores themes of freedom, survival, and identity in the post-Civil War American landscape.
